Five things to avoid when chatting up someone

Communication between two strangers can be hard. Make them both of different genders and you have the world’s oldest mystery on your hands. Contrary to what our parents said, it’s not one of those things you get better at by being a good boy and reading your books. In fact, it seems to get worse the smarter you are.

Have you missed out on an opportunity to get to know someone because you were tongue tied? Well hopefully this will happen never again. The next time you want to walk up to someone, here are five things that you should avoid.

PS: Ladies, don’t leave the challenge to the men, you can use them too.

1) Having Nothing To Say :

Impulse is not always bad and sometimes there’s no time. But the last thing you want to do is hold her up and not be able to string together a coherent sentence. You might still get her number out of pity but is that really a first impression you’d like to leave? Whether it’s a compliment or a joke, have at least one sentence ready.

2) Using Clichés:

‘I think I’ve seen you somewhere before’ or ‘You must have fallen from heaven’. Unless you are absolutely sure this is true, no one wants to hear these clichés that have been around since 1000B.C. It immediately makes people distrust you and raise their walls even higher. Your best bet is honesty. Simple sentences that say exactly what you mean, devoid of Shakespearean phrases will always go down well.

3) Being Dishonest:

Not all Prada wearing women are the Devil. Contrary to popular opinion, a conversation that is honest gives you a much better chance at walking away with her contact details than one in which you’re lying through your teeth. Exaggerations of wealth and status are particularly annoying because either way, when the truth is out your dishonesty buys you a ticket to Blockedville. Women have various people try to talk to them daily and they so become pretty good at spotting phoniness a mile away.

4) Making It About You:

Confidence is a nice scent, but not when worn so thickly that we reek of narcissism. Speaking in a way that implies you deem it an honour to the other person that you’re talking to them (because after all, here you are) is a must. You should put the focus on the person you are speaking to before yourself. Ask them about themselves instead of weighing them down with your own life story. You come off as haughty and no one wants to be friends with anyone like that. Speak in a strong clear voice and make eye contact, implying that you know your worth, but never blow your own horn.

5) Appearing Desperate:

Sometimes a ‘No’ means just that and not an invitation to try to convince her by going down on your knees. When in doubt, her body language definitely doesn’t lie. Over the top displays of affection will not only embarrass you both but make you seem creepy, thereby putting the nail in the coffin of your plans. Women are not all fickle creatures whose minds can be changed by grandiose gestures. Smile, say bye and walk away.

Do these tips still apply if the person is halfway across the globe? Sure; what’s more AfriMobile offers cheap calls intonationally. You can even connect with your loved ones for FREE, using voice or video calls and text messages. So sit back, collect yourself and enjoy the conversation. We love connecting people!

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